


The Tudors, Season 1, Episode 2, Simply Henry

by TheSomewhatRamblingReviewer



Category: The Tudors (TV)
Genre: Analysis, Episode Review, Episode: s01e02 Simply Henry, Meta, Nonfiction, Season/Series 01, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-12 06:45:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19126726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSomewhatRamblingReviewer/pseuds/TheSomewhatRamblingReviewer
Summary: Warning: Contains spoilers for the episode and the rest of the series. Complete.





	The Tudors, Season 1, Episode 2, Simply Henry

Open to Val d’Or, English Occupied France.

Everyone’s on horses, and they look at an inflatable bouncy castle. Someone really dropped the ball on the props/effects here.

Anthony wonders what happens if the French don’t show, and William answers they’ll be fashionably late. Then, he points them out to Henry.

Charles Brandon asks what the plan is, and when Henry reveals he’s going down to meet them alone, Anthony voices the reasonable concern this could give the French the opportunity to kill Henry.

Ignoring this, Henry orders everyone to stay before going down.

Notably, the French king brought some of his men down with him. Coldly greeting one another, the kings each insist the other enter the bouncy castle first.

Laughing, Henry breaks the tension, and they enter together. Henry asks how the French king likes Henry’s beard.

Inside, Catherine and the French queen sit together, and someone begins announcing the treaty. However, Henry stops the proceedings. Several people almost do literal face-palms, including, surprisingly, Charles Brandon.

Interestingly, Thomas Tallis is in the background. He doesn’t anything important in this episode, but I do like how the show actually had him around until it was time to use him, unlike certain other characters who will be hastily introduced only when the plot needs them.

Henry does a title-drop when he declares, during the summit, he’s simply Henry. The French king follows his lead.

People clap, but Charles Brandon isn’t among them. I don’t think he appreciates the French king’s comments.

Wolsey has both kings swear on The Bible to be friends with one another. Next, Mary and the dauphin are brought in. They both stand on a table, and Wolsey explains they’re betrothed. Mary kisses the dauphin on the cheek. He does not appreciate this. She responds by pushing him down. Henry and Charles Brandon are both amused, but the French king is worried for his son.

Despite scolding Mary, Henry can’t keep the smile off his face.

Later, William and the others are getting wine from a bull statute, and William declares, “I’ve got to get one of these.” Heh.

Meanwhile, Henry and More are talking, and Henry reveals the castle is painted canvas by lifting up a fold to reveal a window.

Okay, but it still looks like a modern inflatable bouncy castle from the outside.

To my amusement at how in tune he is to Henry, Charles Brandon declares from over with the others, “But real wine!”

Laughing, Henry orders him not to drink too much.

Back inside, some men put on a show of sword fighting, and the French king presents Henry with a gift of jewels.

Interestingly, one of the extras in the feast is a black man. I don’t know if this is historically accurate or not.

In return, Henry has a pastry delivered. Once cut open, live birds fly from it.

Everything settles, and the French king points Mary and Anne out to Henry. Making misogynist comments about the former, he reveals her as his mistress. He wanders off, and I’m not sure what Henry’s expression is meant to be, but once Catherine sees it, she looks at him in concern.

Coming in, Boleyn orders Mary to go to Henry, and when Mary whispers about this to Anne, Anne’s expression is ambiguous.

Later, Thomas is singing as Henry is being shaved. Henry asks who he is, and Thomas introduces himself. Complimenting him, Henry gives him some money.

Outside, Boleyn and Wolsey meet, and it turns out, despite their dislike for one another, they’re building a case against Buckingham together.

Back inside the palace, there’s a wrestling match, and Henry is bored. The French king being an annoying blabbermouth doesn’t help. Finally, Henry’s challenges him to a wrestling match.

More tries to stop Henry, and everyone but Charles Brandon is uneasy. He gives the impression of being too happy at the sight of Henry stripping his shirt off to realise the dangerous waters Henry is treading.

Catherine supportively puts her hand over the French queen’s, William and Anthony make bets, and Charles Brandon is in danger of falling off his chair with how he keeps edging closer. The trio stand up to cheer Henry on.

Charles Brandon insists Henry will win, and I find myself agreeing with More’s annoyed declaration, “Whatever happens, he’s not going to win.”

The French king wins, and rushing to get Henry up, the trio restrain him. Catherine looks on in concern. Henry orders More to tell the others he refuses to sign the treaty, and I’m officially feeling sympathy for More when it comes to his efforts to tactfully and calmly deal with his brat of a king.

Finally, giving up on this tactic, he grabs Henry before bluntly pointing out what a bratty child Henry is being when there are extraordinarily important, life-altering consequences at stake.

Calming down, Henry leaves.

The next scene is of him rubbing a towel on his face. Charles Brandon appears with Mary Boleyn in tow. I don’t know at what point he leaves, because, he is peripherally visible when Henry examines her, but by the time Mary gives Henry a blowjob, he’s nowhere in sight.

The next day, the treaty is signed, and afterwards, Henry trashes a room. The canvas castle is torn down, and the scene transitions to Whitehall Palace in London where Henry and Mary are in bed. Showing boredom, he coldly dismisses her.

Later, he’s ranting to Wolsey about the emperor being so wealthy and powerful at the age of twenty. He thinks it might be better to do business with him than the French.

Wolsey is subtly unhappy to hear this.

Meanwhile, Boleyn goes to see Buckingham, and Buckingham immediately points out how badly both kings behaved at the summit. Taking the opening, Boleyn agrees Buckingham would have done better. Buckingham warns Boleyn not to betray him.

Back to Henry and Wolsey, Wolsey tells Henry about the signs pointing to Buckingham planning a rebellion. It’s decided Buckingham will be invited to the New Year’s celebration.

In a boat, More and Henry talk, and the former expresses his belief it will someday be ordinary for girls and boys to be equally educated. Henry mentions Utopia. Then, sort of blurting it out, he tells More about Buckingham, and More looks at him in alarm.

Elsewhere, Wolsey visits a heavily pregnant Bessie. She asks about Henry, and Wolsey says he’s come regarding her husband. Due to some lands he’s received, he’s promised not to send Bessie to a nunnery. She asks about the child, and he doesn’t know whether Henry will recognise the child or not. He leaves, and she desperately calls out for him to tell Henry of her love for him.

The next scene has horses riding to Buckingham’s Estate. Men are lining up to kiss Buckingham’s ring, and one man kneels down to say, “My lord, I hereby pledge my allegiance to you and your house. I do swear to serve you unto death.”

Elsewhere, More and Wolsey talk about the potential treaty with the emperor, and More points out both he and Wolsey are disappointed. As always, Wolsey is aware he’s the more realistic of the two, and he displays pity, annoyance, and envy towards More’s idealistic nature. More sums up his whole character arc by declaring, in regards to his unrealistic dreams, “I will continue to dream them, even if I’m alone in doing so.”

Then, he brings up the fact Henry doesn’t seem as attached to him as he once was, and Wolsey gives him this advice, “If you want to keep the love of a prince, this is what you must do: You must be prepared to give him the thing you most care for in all the world.”

More responds the thing he most cares for is his integrity, and since Wolsey has long ago given this up, he doesn’t answer.

Either realising or already knowing this, More asks what Wolsey most cares for, and again, he receives no answer.

In the next scene, Buckingham and his men arrive at the castle. In the throne room, Henry and Catherine are receiving gifts. There’s a brief scene of Bessie going into labour, and then, Buckingham gives Henry his present of a clock engraved with words. More, William, and Charles Brandon are all the room, and the latter two stare stone-faced at Buckingham.

There’s intercutting scenes.

Bessie gives birth.

Buckingham and his men leave.

Looking at the gift, Henry mocks the words.

Lying in bed, Bessie looks over at her incredibly blue-eyed baby.

During the daytime, with everyone on horseback, William and some men meet Buckingham and his men. William announces Buckingham is under arrest on suspicion of treason. Swords are drawn, but Anthony reminds Buckingham, if any of his servants strike the king’s servants, it’ll definitely constitute treason.

Buckingham gets his men to back off, but he doesn’t help himself by calling William and Anthony new men, declaring a jury of his peer is his right, and insisting no lord of England would find against him.

He’s taken in.

Later, Henry talks to Wolsey about Buckingham’s trial, and Wolsey opines it might be dangerous for Henry if Buckingham is found guilty. He suggests Buckingham be found guilty of a different offence, fined heavily, and banished from court. This would leave him in disgrace but prevent his friends and allies from rising against Henry. Henry wants assurances Wolsey can get this verdict if they go for it. When Wolsey gives it, Henry agrees.

At the tennis courts, Henry instructs Charles Brandon about the trial, and they play a game against one another.

In the gallery, Boleyn asks Mary if she’s still Henry’s mistress, and she answers in the negative.

The next scene has Norfolk walking with a young boy when Charles Brandon approaches. The two men subtly make clear their dislike for one another. Charles Brandon mentions the trial as he gives Norfolk a gift from Henry: a ring of Norfolk’s father.

Lest anyone think this is just simple attempt at bribery, it’s brought up Norfolk senior was executed by Henry’s father.

Nice to see you’re settling in, awkward.

Charles Brandon asks about the boy. He’s Norfolk’s son and, as Norfolk pointedly makes note of, Henry’s godson.

The Norfolks walk past, and raising his voice slightly, Charles Brandon warns Norfolk to have a care for his son’s inheritance.

At the trial, both Buckingham and Wolsey are disbelieving when Buckingham is found guilty and sentenced to death by Norfolk.

I don’t know if Henry decided not to take Wolsey’s advice or if he wasn’t clear with what he wanted when he sent Charles Brandon to deal with things. Alternatively, Charles Brandon did understand, but he’s going to claim plausible deniability, because, he felt it best Buckingham die.

As he’s lead away, Buckingham screams at Wolsey, and the irony is this actually isn’t Wolsey’s doing.

Buckingham is thrown in a cell, and he finds the gift he gave Henry.

In a field, Henry’s on horseback, and a messenger rides up. Whatever he says makes Henry visibly happy.

Buckingham is lead to his execution, and he’s understandably terrified. A man says, “God bless you, sir.” Holding out either a cross necklace or a rosary, a woman urges him to take it.

There are shots of Buckingham being dragged intercut with Henry running to burst into Bessie’s room.

A man tries to attack Buckingham, and when Buckingham gets up on the scaffold, he sees Anna sobbing in the crowd. He’s physically pushed down onto the block.

Henry looks at the baby in the cradle.

Buckingham is told, when he stretches his arms, the executioner will strike. Sobbingly refuses, he looks at his daughter.

Henry is overjoyed and relieved to discover the baby is a boy.

Out of either pity or impatience, Anthony leaps up, physically spreads Buckingham’s arms, and pins his wrists down.

Buckingham dies, and now outside, Henry shouts about his son.

At night, there are fireworks, and inside, there’s a party. Henry shoots a gun, though, thankfully, it doesn’t seem to have bullets. Wolsey congratulates Henry, and Henry directs him upstairs to where Bessie is. Down below, Charles Brandon congratulates Henry. At one point, he nods for Henry to come down, but Henry doesn’t.

Upstairs, Wolsey tells a crying Bessie her son is to be named Henry Fitzroy (Fitzroy means ‘son of the King’), and Henry will acknowledge and provide for him.

Downstairs, Catherine’s presence is announced. She and Henry bow to one another, and taking a goblet, she raises it. He raises his, and they both drink a toast. She leaves, and he happily declares another toast to his son.

The next scene is in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The pope is dying, and showing a distinct lack of class, not to mention neglect of duty, two of the men talk politics as he’s dying right in front of them. They decide Wolsey breaking the French treaty is enough to release them from the promise to make him pope. As the dying pope receives communion, they decide the next pope must be Italian, because, the English pope they once had was insane.

The two of them really couldn’t think of a better time or place to discuss this? Such as any time other than when they’re supposed to be holding vigil at a dying person’s bedside?

When the priest actually trying to do his duty urges the pope to swallow, one of the men exasperatedly orders him to push it in.

Irony must either really love or hate Wolsey; it visits him so often. If Wolsey had been made pope, he would have given Henry his divorce/annulment, but Henry’s actions are what disqualified Wolsey from the papacy.

In the rain, a carriage stops. Barefoot, Catherine gets out to walk to a church. Inside, she kneels down. Begging Mary, mother of God, to give her a son, she kisses the floor.

At the castle, More and Wolsey talk about relocating due the sweating sickness coming, and More expresses his sympathy for Wolsey not gaining the papacy. Wolsey has no use for this, but showing genuine respect, More assures him he’s not just being polite. He expresses his belief Wolsey would have made a good pope. Bringing up Martin Luther, he says, if Wolsey was elected, he would have worked tirelessly to cleanse the church of corruption and prevented Luther from gaining more followers.

I like this scene. More acknowledges the severity of corruption within the Catholic Church, and despite Wolsey’s mistress, two children, and his clear desire for power, he does recognise Wolsey has done some great things. The historical Wolsey helped make the legal system accessible to all and, from what I understand, did come down hard on serious abuses committed by clergy.

Near tears, Wolsey replies, “Perhaps, you think too highly of me, Thomas.” Leaving, he adds, “Perhaps, you think too highly of the whole human race.”

I wouldn’t go that far. Generally, true optimists don’t feel the need to burn people alive simply because said people peaceably expressed religious disagreements.

In the hallway, More and Bessie politely greet one another. Then, Bessie and Catherine cross paths. Curtseying, Bessie tentatively greets her as, “My lady.” Catherine briefly glares at her before continuing to walk.

There’s a brief scene of furniture being moved while Catherine is in a carriage.

Over to the Boleyns, Anne meets Norfolk and her father. When Norfolk leaves, Boleyn suggests Anne become Henry’s mistress. Anne points out all of Henry’s mistresses soon lose favour.

Historically, this isn’t completely true. Bessie was Henry’s mistress for eight years.

Coming across as somewhat creepy, Boleyn suggests Anne can find a way to keep the king’s passion. He makes a comment about her eyes that would fit the historical Anne but don’t fit this version of Anne with her light blue eyes.

One thing I strongly dislike about this series is how Anne is portrayed as actively seeking to seduce Henry on the orders of her family.

In real life, Anne Boleyn was a victim. She wanted to marry Henry Percy, and Wolsey intervened. Whether this was done on King Henry’s orders is still being debated, but later, King Henry did destroy Anne’s marriage prospects. He stalked her, and her choices were to give into his sexual advances, join a convent, or hope he’d eventually get tired. When it became clear he wouldn’t do the latter, she tried to gain the best deal she could for herself by pushing for a fourth option. Whether she felt maliciousness towards Catherine or not, her initial reaction towards Henry’s interest wasn’t, ‘Get rid of your wife.’

Furthermore, it’s not clear whether she did or didn’t, but if she did try to get revenge on Wolsey, it would have been either due to their conflicting religious beliefs, the Henry Percy incident, or both. She didn’t set out to seduce Henry in order to help her family destroy Wolsey.

In a carriage, Wolsey and Henry talk about joining with the emperor to attack France. Henry compliments Wolsey’s castle, and having already lost his integrity, the papacy, and the French alliance, Wolsey gives it to Henry.

There’s a scene in a later episode where a dressed up Joan Larke is all excited to meet the king, and yelling, Wolsey chases her away before Henry arrives. Watching said scene with this episode in mind takes it to a completely different level.

Fin.


End file.
